After giving up two penalties earlier in the game, Chandler Stephenson talked with Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy during the second intermission.
“Let’s not let egos get in the way of success,” Cassidy advised. “It’s the playoffs, and you deal with it.”
Stephenson took that to heart, scoring the game-winning goal 1:12 into overtime to secure a 3-2 victory for the Vegas Golden Knights over the Dallas Stars on Sunday. The win gave Vegas a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final.
Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Mark Stone each recorded a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights, while Adin Hill made 26 saves.
Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson scored for Dallas, and Ryan Suter had two assists. Jake Oettinger stopped 21 shots for the Stars.
Game 3 is set for Tuesday in Dallas.
Historically, teams that win the first two games before the Stanley Cup Final advance 91% of the time. Vegas has defied typical playoff trends, with an impressive 7-3 record when conceding the first goal and eight comeback victories.
Dallas led 1-0 and 2-1, but Marchessault forced overtime by scoring from the slot with just 2:22 left in the third period, finishing off a no-look pass from Jack Eichel after a Suter turnover.
“Once we tied it up, we knew we had the momentum,” Stephenson said. “We believe we’re never out of it.”
The Stars are now 0-4 in overtime games this postseason. All four games of this year’s conference finals have gone to overtime, the first time that’s happened in NHL history.
“I thought we improved from Game 1,” said Stars coach Peter DeBoer. “Eichel and Marchessault made a big play to tie it, but we had great chances in overtime, too. We’ve just got to convert.”
Both teams benefited from quirky bounces in the first period. Heiskanen opened the scoring just 2:47 into the game when the puck hopped over Hill. Vegas tied it at 10:08 with Stone’s power-play goal, which came after Dallas took two penalties at once.
Robertson’s second-period power-play goal put the Stars back up 2-1, and Dallas’s defense held Vegas to just 10 shots through the first two periods. However, the Golden Knights ramped up the pressure in the third, tallying 12 shots and forcing overtime, where Stephenson quickly ended the game.
“It was a rough game for me, but that goal was a great way to finish,” Stephenson said. “I’ve got to keep my emotions in check, especially against a team with a strong power play.”
BEST GOLDEN KNIGHTS TEAM YET?
Vegas is now two wins away from its second Stanley Cup Final, with six players remaining from the team’s historic 2018 run in their inaugural season.
“This is the best team we’ve ever had, not just on paper but in how we play,” said Marchessault, one of the original “Golden Misfits.”
While the Golden Knights reached the Cup Final in 2018, losing to Washington in five games, they’ve since made two semifinal appearances and are still chasing their first championship.
“We let it slip away in 2018,” Marchessault said. “But right now, my focus is on Game 3 in Dallas.”